


Snips n’ Snails & Puppy Dog Tails

by My_LittleCorner



Series: Accidentally on Purpose [3]
Category: Jurassic World Trilogy (Movies)
Genre: Clawen, DOMESTIC CLAWEN, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Humor, Kids you wouldn't want to babysit, Lots of Clawen baby, Maybe some angst because I can't help it, Single Parenting, Single Parents, clawen au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2019-10-23 01:48:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17674100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/My_LittleCorner/pseuds/My_LittleCorner
Summary: [Clawen AU]Sequel to 'You Call It Chaos, We Call It Family'Follows Claire's pregnancy and the first years of Claire and Owen's kid. Mason and Lizzie both deal very differently to the reality of being an older sibling. Both Claire and Owen have to team-up to raise a child who doesn't know what's right and what's wrong; since mommy says no, but daddy laughs if baby does.Basically, a Clawen baby fic filled with family fluff and domestic stuff.back from hiatus





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank my editor-in-chief for proofreading yet another one of my crazy stories! You are the best!!! <3

Owen was at the museum picking Claire up for lunch one afternoon. He smoothly found his way through the office halls and eventually turned to the right, finding his girlfriend heading back to her desk, carrying some files with her. Claire was looking impeccable, the pencil skirt she was wearing accentuating her firm legs and ass. She was in great shape, a huge turn on for Owen: it felt like he hadn’t seen her look this sexy in a while.

Claire smiled as they met by her desk. She rested her hands on his chest, and with a light moan, she caressed his pectorals, his hands running around her slim waist, pulling her closer into a kiss.

Owen then turned to look over to her desk and smiled. “Hello balls, is the psycho redhead treating you well?” He greeted what looked like his testicles in a jar. Claire kept them visible for him to be reminded of his doing.

Claire groaned and frowned, feeling how Owen abruptly sat up on their bed after waking up sweating cold. “You upset it...” She pouted, feeling completely nauseated now that he had woken her up so sudden.

“I’m sorry, Pookie” He kissed her forehead a couple of times, hearing her take deep breaths and nuzzling into his neck.

“Are you okay?” She mumbled. Once Owen adjusted and moved down the bed to her twelve-weeks baby bump, Claire checked the time on her nightstand: It was 2AM. This was the fourth night in a row that Owen kept waking up from some dream he kept having, one he insisted it was nothing, not telling her what it was about.

“Why are you up so late at night, sea monkey?” Owen was now talking to their baby.

“Because you woke us up. That’s what happens when you eat too much before bed.” She complained upon reaching for her pink lemonade flavored water — still unable to tolerate tap and bottled water.

Owen didn’t like addressing their baby as an ‘it’; from the first ultrasound, he had figured the embryo had the shape of a sea monkey and had nicknamed it as such.

“Hmm.” He let her believe it was the midnight snacks giving him nightmares, when in reality it was the vasectomy appointment that he would have on Monday, that was making his balls sweat — literally.

Claire adjusted and rested her arm against her forehead, able to feel how strong the headache she had was pounding against it. “Make it stop.” She begged, feeling like she would throw up at any given time.

Owen pulled up the flannel shirt she was wearing as pajamas and gently started to press kisses on her rounding belly. “It’s time to go back to sleep…daddy is sorry he woke you up.” He tenderly talked to the belly, caressing it softly and nosing into it. “You are making mommy feel sick and we don’t want that, do we?”

Claire looked down at Owen, her fingers brushing his hair back with a light smile, slowly feeling the nausea going away. The headache was still unbearable though.

“Nu daddy, I don’t wants to make mommy sick. I sowwy.” Owen replied in a baby voice, having a conversation with himself while he tried to ease the symptoms for Claire. It always worked and watching him engage so intimately with their unborn baby always made her cry.

He looked up, watching silent tears running down her freckled cheeks. She sniffed before Owen kissed her lovingly and wrapped her in his arms.

“Is mommy feeling better now?” Owen kissed her tears and smiled, watching her nod. This was her second pregnancy, but having the father there, every second, attentive to her and the baby’s needs, was a new experience and it was brutal to her hormones.

“Goodnight, daddy.” Claire adjusted, and holding tight on his chest and nuzzling into his neck, she found her favorite sleeping position, curled against him with her baby bump brushing against his arms.

“Goodnight, mommy.” Owen offered, kissing her forehead a couple of times, staying awake for a few minutes until he made sure Claire had been able to go back to sleep.

 

* * *

 

That following morning, Claire was fighting with her skirt. She had managed to bring it up over her belly and it now looked like a big lunch tummy wrapped tightly in the fabric. She kept grunting while trying to pull the zipper up.

Owen was on the other side of the bedroom on his phone, the redhead too frustrated with her wardrobe to be paying attention to his call. He was being very ambiguous too.

“Yeah. No. It’s okay. I’ll wait for your call so we can reschedule.” He sighed in relief as the call ended and his attention went back to Claire.

“Who was that?” She casually asked, grunting and still on a one-on-one fight with her skirt.

“Um... that was a client, postponing this thing...you know.” Owen lied. That was the hospital letting him know his doctor for the vasectomy was out of town and he wouldn’t be back until next week so they would be in contact to reschedule.

“Oh. Okay.” She smiled. “But you still have the gig, right?” She tilted her head. Owen was now running his own construction company. It was small but it was doing well. He had a group of workers that he trusted and a few contacts and clients he had made throughout the last year he had been working in the field.

Owen nodded. “Babe, you don’t fit in those anymore.” He shook his head, and after tossing his phone over the bed, he walked to stand behind her and hugged her gently. His lips slowly pecked down her neck.

“Yes, but Brenda and I agreed to take the kids to the Sony Wonder Technology Lab and you haven’t told her about baby.” She looked over her shoulder with narrowed eyes.

“So?” He chuckled. They had had this conversation many times before. It went hand in hand with when they would tell the kids they would be elder siblings now. Claire, on her end, wasn’t ready to tell Mason, she knew this would require them to find the perfect moment and just slide the news in, and that moment had yet to come. On the other hand, with Lizzie, they knew that telling her meant Brenda would find out and for some reason Owen was avoiding the subject.

“What do you mean ‘so’?” Claire sighed, her arms already tired of reaching back and fight with the zipper. “She’s your ex-wife! And you knocked her friend up.” Claire was just viewing this as a courtesy FYI, one that if this were the other way around, she’d appreciate.

“Yeah. She’s your friend, you tell her.” Owen rubbed the back of his neck before he helped Claire with the zipper. “Hold your breath!” He asked before he tried pull the zipper up.

“I’m holding my breath!” Claire pointed out before she tried again, the zipper only going up halfway. “And she’s your ex-wife, Owen... this is your thing, not mine.” She insisted.

“Babe, this is not going up. I’m afraid that if I pull harder, I’ll break it.” He scratched his head. “Your skirt not fitting is a sign. You just go with your usual clothes and, you know, let her find out like that.” Owen shrugged.

Claire snatched his hands away from her zipper and lay on the bed on her stomach, which (with a lot of patience) worked, and Owen managed to zip her up. Claire rolled over and, reaching out, let him pull her back up.

“You can’t breathe, can you?” Owen shook his head, completely against this.

Claire held one finger up and slowly started to breathe until she eventually was able to move. “Okay, I’m out of here.” She pecked his lips a couple of times. “Mason? Are you ready? We are running late!” Claire called out after checking the time on her wrist watch.

“I’ll go into that junk room and see if I can clean it up.” Owen offered. They had been trying to figure out where to fit a nursery room in their apartment. Claire had gotten it thinking it would only be Mason and her, after all. The apartment came with a small study room but for the past eight years, Claire had been accumulating all kinds of crap in it. It was the only corner in her life that was messy.

“Okay.” She smiled and kissed him lovingly. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours.” She assured him before she went looking for Mason to make sure he was ready to leave.

 

* * *

 

At the museum, Brenda was quietly observing Claire, who was evidently uncomfortable in that skirt. She had already pulled out her top from under it and had undone the first two buttons of her blouse; those breasts were huge. She had gone from 34Cs to very perky 38Ds in just a few months.

Claire was always looking for a bench to sit every time the kids got distracted in one spot and went to play with the different attractions and appliances available for them.

Brenda had also been keeping an unconscious tab on everything Claire had eaten in just an hour and how she had passed on the usual coffee. At the coffee stand, the redhead had managed to order a Nutella bagel with bacon (which was a secret ingredient Brenda didn’t notice); however, the Nutella bite alone was something Claire wouldn’t usually eat.

Of course, being pregnant came with the massive need to pee every ten minutes, which meant Claire was holding seven times that by now, fully aware that she wouldn’t be able to lift that skirt without any consequence.

“No running, guys!” Brenda called out once both Lizzie and Mason ran off to check the new area they had just entered. The woman slowly let her eyes fall on Claire, who was having issues finding a way to feel comfortable and breathe; her ankles were killing her in those heels, too.

It was the sudden sound of fabric ripping that made Claire freeze and Brenda tilt her head, trying to figure out where it came from.

Claire closed her eyes and slowly reached back, the thread holding the zipper had given out. “Shit...”

“Was that you?” Brenda looked around her friend’s back and gasped at how that zipper was basically falling off.

“Hold on...” Claire pulled it down and took a deep breath now that she could breathe, her baby bump now completely visible under her tight blouse.

“WHAT THE!?” Brenda was shocked, surprised, upset, confused, and now irritated that Claire was asking her to hold on that thought before she ran off to the nearby restroom so she could finally pee and check the damage on her skirt.

Claire texted Owen while peeing, letting him know that he had been right about the zipper, completely humiliated, but that Brenda now knew.

“Care to explain!?” Brenda immediately demanded the moment Claire was back and sat next to her on the bench in that area.

“I’m three months pregnant” She smiled guiltily. “With Owen’s baby.” She shrugged. “So, what’s new with you?” Claire cleared her throat.

“What do you mean you are PREGNANT with MY ex HUSBAND’s baby?” Brenda blinked a couple of times. “Were you planning on telling me?” She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“Of course! I just didn’t say anything today because Owen wanted to be the one to tell you.” Claire lied, her nose wrinkled.

“Do the kids know?” Brenda curved an eyebrow, they better not had told her daughter to lie to her.

“No! We haven’t told anyone yet. I mean, my parents and sister know and my nephews know... but Mason doesn’t yet and neither does Lizzie!” Claire assured her.

“How did it happen anyways? I thought you didn’t want any more kids.” Brenda recalled. “Don’t take it personally if he isn’t there for you though, that’s just him.” She rolled her eyes bitterly. “I would always be asking him to do this or do that and he never got anything done!”

Claire frowned. She could relate to that feeling but not with this pregnancy. “Yeah...I’m not keeping my hopes up.” She looked around.

Brenda got to her own conclusion that Claire’s condition was the reason why, as Lizzie had told her, they had moved in together. The blonde knew Owen would give Claire everything he never gave to her and probably already was — just like their relationship thus far. However, it was easier to pretend he hadn’t changed. “So how did _it_ slip?” Brenda asked again, hoping she could get something out of the obvious accidental pregnancy.

“Bad condoms.” Claire confessed.

Brenda chuckled. “So, it was _his_ fault.” She gloated.

Claire nodded, “Recalled ones...he was fully aware of it and still wore them.” She added, still slightly mad about it.

To Brenda, this was reliving. It was the Owen she knew, it was the Owen she had told Claire about before the couple had even met. “Didn’t I tell you? I told you he was an immature jerk!” She shook her head laughing a little. “I told you so!”

Owen was spending all his morning taking all kinds of junk out of that room. He couldn’t believe the same Claire he loved and knew to want things to always be in order and under control had created that mess. The moment he opened the door, a bike almost fell on him. That was the last thing Claire had put in there. She had used the bike to literally hold everything back so the door could close.

It was a red small bike with crooked training wheels. If he had to take a guess, it looked like something Mason had ridden when he was about four. He set that one to the side and started to fill endless bags with trash while setting to the side things they could sell in a garage sale — if Claire would ever agree to that.

It was very rewarding to finally look up and see the room empty. He opened the window so it could get some air: the room smelled like mold and he knew that wasn’t good for the baby — or any of them, for that matter.

He found an old box and set it in the middle of the room, soon using other stuff like old chairs and tables to emulate the nursery. He couldn’t wait for Claire to get home and show her.

After taking all the trash down to the alley dumpster, Owen trotted back to the apartment and hit the shower, being out just in time to meet Claire and Mason back from the Lab with Lizzie, who was spending the weekend over.

“Lizard!!!!” Owen squatted down, watching his daughter run to his arms and hugging her lovingly.

“Are you making my own room here too?” She saw that mysterious room was finally opened and cleaned.

“Did you find dinosaurs or elves in there!?” Mason wondered. The kids had a phase when they would imagine what was behind that door and pretend they could teleport inside and find a whole different world in it.

“No, but you can go check all the junk that was in there.” Owen pointed out to the spot where piles of stuff were lying.

“Cool!” Both kids ran off.

“So how did it go?” Owen held Claire close and kissed her lovingly.

“Meh, it’s out, that’s all that matters.” She sighed. “What’s all this?” She smiled once the boxes and old furniture caught her attention.

“This is sea monkey’s nursery!” Owen held her hand and guided her inside. “The crib can go there, and we can put the rocking chair here, and the diaper changing table over there...” He pointed out.

Claire clung to him, nuzzling against his neck. “I love it, but... we have to find a way to get rid of the humidity.” She slowly pulled at his arm and got out of the room.

“Babe?” Owen pulled the old bike around the hall and let Claire set her eyes on it. “I didn’t know Mason had a bike.”

Claire sighed, trying not to let hormones get the best of her. “He doesn’t. That was his last.” She shrugged. “He never learned how to ride without the training wheels and one day he just told me to throw it out, and that he didn’t want a bike ever again.” She gulped.

“Oh.” Owen frowned. “What happened?”

“Josh.” She rolled her eyes. “He promised he would come over and teach him. That was four years ago.” Claire looked down, “But it doesn’t matter anymore. He is now over him and it will be all over soon.” She smiled at that.

“I can teach him if you want.” Owen pulled her closer to him, letting her baby bump brush against him.

“It’s not a matter of me wanting you to do it, it’s about him wanting to learn.” she smiled, their forehead pressing against each other before Owen kissed her lovingly.

 

* * *

 

Mason jumped at the idea of learning how to ride a bike when Owen suggested it. That following weekend, the two of them went to buy one and they rented the training wheels. They never made it into the apartment, and once home, they immediately started working on learning. Owen let the eight-year-old get comfortable on the bike with the training wheels installed, then turned one around so it could face up, the bike only leaning against the right one now. Mason didn’t have trouble riding it like that, but Owen made sure he wouldn’t fall over to the side by putting all his weight there.

Soon, Mason was feeling comfortable on his new bike and was able to ride it fast down the street. Owen figured it was time for them to retake on their lessons and removed the training wheels before they started with the first step: Owen would hold Mason straight from the back of the seat while he slowly pedaled down the street. He never let go, he had promised the kid he wouldn’t, and he wasn’t about to toss all the trust the kid had in him because of something a mean parent did.

“Let go! Let go!!” Mason laughed feeling comfortable while Owen ran behind him still holding on the seat. At his request, Owen let go and watched the kid pedal for a few seconds before he started losing balance. Mason managed to brake with his feet and avoid falling.

Owen ran to his side and once Mason was ready, he let him start pedaling on his own, his hand close to the seat just to inject him confidence. The two of them bonded and had the time of their lives outside.

A blue Dodge Challenger pulled over a few feet away from Owen and the kid, Mason too busy trying to start off on his own to notice the man who had walked out of the car. He had dark hair, thick eyebrows, and penetrating blue eyes. He was also sporting a goatee. The handsome man was wearing a white beanie, ripped jeans, a Led Zeppelin t-shirt and a jacket over it. 

He looked over while Mason and Owen were engaging in what looked like a secret handshake and the adult was reassuring the kid that he could make it, Mason’s back to the car, before he started riding his new bike on his own. The man, holding a bouquet of flowers, cleared his throat, and fixing his jacket, he walked into the building. Owen casually watched him walk in before his attention went back to the kid.

Claire was in the kitchen spreading some Nutella on hamburger bread and cutting a slice of pineapple to go in it. She took some ham out of the fridge and sliced cheese. Once she had her snack ready, she put everything back in its place. She was about to give her meal a first bite when someone knocked at the door. She looked down at herself, she was wearing Owen’s red flannel pants and one of his grey V-neck tank tops.

She set her hamburger down back on its plate and went to answer the door: a man with a charming smirk was smiling down at her the moment she opened the door, and without saying a word, she let him in.

“You look…I like the tank top.” The man teased her. Her breasts were perfectly accentuated in it and her cleavage was just hard to keep eyes off of.

“With your impeccable record, I figured you wouldn’t bother… so.” She shrugged about not being presentable.

Josh inched closer and leaned against the kitchen counter as she hid her peculiar snack in the microwave, the man still able to have a glance at it. He had been able to tell she was pregnant the moment she opened the door, and they both knew it, but he went along with her, pretending he didn’t, and stayed quiet.

“For you, lovely.” He chuckled, presenting her with the flowers.

Claire looked down at them, and turning the garbage disposal on, she destroyed them, pushing them down in it. The redhead made eye contact with Josh and shrugged casually.

“I see you are as intense as always. Not complaining here, though.” He smiled while he followed her over to the table, “That intensity translated into fireworks in bed.” He bit on his lower lip and looked down at her.

Claire looked up and shook her head, unable to stop herself from smiling; boy, didn’t she have a type in men.

“So, where’s Squirt!?” Josh looked around, pretending to look for his kid when he had seen him outside with whom he assumed was Owen. The last few times Mason had called him, he wouldn’t stop talking about the guy, and he was able to pick up that they had a very close relationship.

“Outside learning to ride a bike with Owen.” Claire casually let him know. “Of course, you saw him there…unable to miss your kid when he was playing right under your nose.” She crossed her arms against her chest.

“What’s an Owen?” Josh asked confused. Claire just rolled her eyes. 

“So, these are the papers.” She went straight to the reason why she had asked him to stop by. “You just have to sign here and here.” She pointed out once she opened the file. “And don’t worry about anything else, things continue to be the same…the only difference is that now you won’t be disappointing my kid.” She added bitterly.

After Christmas, once Claire had noticed Mason was completely over his dad – Something the kid had been working on since his birthday – Claire had worked with a lawyer so she could get full custody of Mason and was now requesting Josh to give up his rights to Mason. Of course, it was something this drastic that had finally made him show up.

“Pen?” Claire handed him one over. “Please try not to screw up your signature, I only have one set of papers.”

Josh had his blue eyes fixed on Claire, studying her breathing, which was calm, and paying attention to her body language. Her words were hostile, but she was not jumpy in any way. She had really thought this through, which was throwing Josh off. He scoffed and grabbed the papers so he could read them.

The sound of Owen and Mason’s laughs filled the hallway as Owen opened the door. His hazel eyes fell on Claire the moment he saw Josh was still there. The kid took a step back at the sight of his dad and leaned against Owen.

“Squirt!!” Josh gave Claire a look before he set the papers down. The brunette man reached out, but Mason’s reaction was to take another step back, Owen immediately resting his arm against his little chest, letting the man know that kid was his family, and if he took another step closer, he would hurt him.

It was immediately evident to Josh that what he was perceiving over the phone was real, and Mason’s father figure was now Owen.

“Owen, this is Josh…Mason’s dad.” Claire introduced them, Owen fully aware of the reason of his visiting so didn’t need much detail. “Josh this is Owen, my boyfriend.” She offered.

Both men exchanged glares. It wasn’t until Mason looked up at Owen that the man offered a handshake, Josh accepting it. They didn’t say a word to each other for a few seconds. “I see she has a thing for your wardrobe.” Josh casually pointed out after dead silence was falling among them.

Owen narrowed his eyes, warning him to keep it down or he wouldn’t care if Mason was present; he’d beat the crap out of him.

“So, Squirt! How about we take advantage of my visit and finally build that Star Wars LEGO set you have been saving for us, huh?” Josh offered, about to take a step closer, but decided against it as he saw the death stare on Owen’s face.

“Isn’t that the one we built back on Christmas break, Ace?” Owen casually mentioned with a smirk, loving the look in Josh’s eyes. Mason had saved that set for a very long time, saying he wouldn’t build it with anyone else but his father.

“Yes! Owen moved it to my room, do you wanna see it?” The kid offered.

Josh cleared his throat, completely possessed by jealousy, hating the fact that Owen seemed to have a nickname for the kid too. “You know…I am a little sad, mommy says I shouldn’t be your dad anymore.” He abruptly threw Claire under the bus, not caring about the kind of damage he would cause.

Claire gasped, “Unbelievable.” She shook her head, not believing this guy.

“You don’t want that, do you?” Josh frowned. “I mean, you only can have one dad… and that’s me.” He added with viciousness in his eyes as they fell on Owen’s, who was breathing loud through his nostrils.

Mason frowned, watching the man playing the victim, something that was completely unregistered in his mind. To him, this was more about Josh having him pick, and he had made his decision long ago. “I told mom I don’t want you to be my dad anymore!” He snapped. “I want Owen to be my dad now.” His green eyes went wide, realizing he had admitted that when Owen was standing right behind him, leaving him feeling a little embarrassed.

Claire didn’t know that part and she immediately teared up, her eyes moving over to Owen’s. The man gulped, completely moved, this information new to him too. He brushed his fingers through Mason’s hair to reassure him and held him closer to his chest.

Josh chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, Claire holding that pen out for him to take it and sign those papers. “You heard him.” Claire beamed.

“You know Claire… There’s something that’s been bugging me.” Josh wasn’t done trying to cause damage, since it kept backfiring on him. “Your boobs look deliciously perky and bigger.” He started.

Owen moved Mason to stand behind him and closed his fist tight, ready to knock Josh’s teeth off the moment he disrespected Claire. The woman had her eyes wide open. “Mason go to your room please.” She requested.

“But it just occurred to me… it’s because you are pregnant!” He grinned. “I guess congratulations are in order.”

“What?” Mason frowned.

“I said to your room!” Claire ordered again.

“Isn’t that fun, Squirt? You will have to share your new daddy with a baby sibling!” Josh chuckled. “One that is truly his kid.”

Mason looked over at Claire with broken eyes, it was true. He had finally found the dad he had wished for all these years, and now she was taking him away by giving him a child of his own. The boy teared up, upset with her, breathing fast, and stormed to his room. Claire went after him and managed to stop the door from being slammed in her face with her foot before she got in there with him.

Owen, full of anger, gripped Josh’s jacket and pushed him against the wall. “Give me a reason not to kill you!” He demanded between his teeth, smashing the other man against the wall.

Josh challenging him with a laugh. “Be my guest. You are the one who has everything to lose.” The brunette snatched Owen’s hands away from him and fixed his jacket. “Besides, you need my signature on those stupid papers, and I kinda need to be breathing in order to fulfil that.” He pushed Owen with his shoulder and walked back to the table.

Owen watched him closely, his fist pulling at this shirt, warning him to sign or he was a dead man. Once the papers were signed, Josh tossed the pen against the table and cleaned his hands. “There.” He kept pushing Owen’s buttons.

Owen made sure his signature was on every dotted line required and then dragged him out of the apartment. “You get near my family again, and I’ll beat the crap out of you!!” Owen threatened him before physically throwing him out, watching him stumble against the wall across the hall. After offering a condescending smile, Owen closed the door and left him there to find his way out of the building and go back to where he had come from.


	2. Chapter 2

With the second trimester came lots of surprises: the baby’s first kicks and feeling how it moved inside mommy’s belly, which was one of Owen’s favorite things.

Claire was giggling in bed while Owen moved his hand over her exposed bump. It was early in the morning and Mason was still in bed. The man, wearing only his briefs, was now bonding with his unborn child. It had been a couple of weeks since their sea monkey had allowed dad to feel him move — this being Claire’s second pregnancy, she knew what to look for when it moved and had been able to feel their baby long before Owen did.

“Ready or not...here I come!” Owen set all his concentration on that belly, his hand scanning every inch of it tenderly, his other arm reaching out, feeling the way Claire brushed her own finger pads up and down the inside of it, smiling watching him play with their baby.

Claire was breathing slowly so her belly wouldn’t move unless the baby did. Every morning, Owen would lie down between her legs and talk to their baby, he would tell it stories, sing to it, and after a few weeks of interacting with it, Owen had managed to teach the baby to play hide-and-seek.

Both parents knew they would have a very smart kid: both Mason and Lizzie were— if they could use that as an indication. But, the way the almost 6 month unborn child was able to interact with Owen through the womb was impressive.

“Where is that sea monkey?” Owen looked up unable to feel the baby at all. Claire smiled, and without saying a word, she pointed to the upper left side of her belly. Every day, their baby got better at this, even when it was getting bigger.

Owen nodded and slowly brought his hand there, able to feel its head. “Found ya!” He poked the belly tenderly and smiled big watching how the baby moved around in his enclosure. 

The baby kicked a couple of times against its father’s hand, and in seconds her belly stopped moving. 

“Okay, one last time and then we have to get ready.” Owen offered. It was during the day that their sea monkey had the more activity. Claire’s morning sickness used to be stronger during that time, and ever since it started moving and kicking, that would happen during the day too. Claire was thankful for this though, since she was able to have peaceful nights.

“I have to make sure Mason is ready on time.” Claire shook her head: they didn’t have time for another game.

The couple had been asked about a month ago if they wanted to know the gender of their baby, and they both had agreed that they didn’t. Karen had been feeding the couple the idea to throw a gender reveal party and all the suggestions she had given had Owen wanting to do that, so Claire had agreed.

They had set up the celebration in the suburbs, Owen letting Claire know a friend of his had let them use their house, since it was big enough to fit a dozen of people, plus it had a big backyard where traditional games could be played and where tables could be set.

“Okay.” Owen agreed. That party was Claire’s way to spoil the father of her unborn child, and so it had been everything Owen wanted it to be. He and his buddies from work were going to grill some steaks and some sausages. One of his workers was South American and he knew how to grill the perfect parrillada.

“You heard mommy, Champ.” He kissed that belly a couple of times. “Time to get ready, but you totally destroyed me!” He said about the baby winning the game. “Let’s see that high five!” Owen patted the round top of the baby bump, right over Claire’s belly button before he gently helped her sit up.

“Did you feel that!?” Claire giggled.

“Sea monkey high fived me back!” Owen gasped, feeling the kick Claire was referring to that had happened just as he had patted. 

“I think it did!” She cupped his cheeks and kissed him soundly.

“That’s never happened before.” Owen was thrilled. “When we get back, I’ll show it the secret handshake.” He said about the one he had come up with Mason.

Claire sighed and frowned a little. Mason was still very skeptical about the new baby, and that handshake was his thing with Owen. “I’ll go wake Mason up and get him ready for when Karen comes.” She offered, before slipping a robe on and heading to her son’s room.

 

* * *

 

Karen had agreed to pick both Mason and Lizzie up and bring them to the gender reveal bbq with her, Scott, and the boys. Owen and Claire would be getting to the house earlier so the redhead could make sure everything was being done as she had specifically requested. 

They had taken an Uber to the property — the house was about thirty minutes from the city. The neighborhood was very quiet and family friendly. Claire noticed the houses they were passing by were huge, and looked expensive. It made her wonder which of his employees could afford living in the suburbs and have a house that expensive and luxurious. She figured she’d find out once they made it there. 

The Uber slowly pulled up in front of a two storey house sitting next to a river that bent around it.

Owen got out of the Uber and helped Claire step out. She fixed the light blue short dress she was wearing, a grey knitted cardigan lightly hooked over her round belly and matching knee-high boots complemented her outfit. She looked gorgeous, her red long locks gently twirled over her shoulders.

The first thing her eyes noticed was a brand new white Honda Odyssey minivan parked in the driveway. She smiled wide, the elegant baby pink and baby blue ribbon on top of it giving away that it was a present.

“Is that ours!?” She looked over to Owen, who couldn’t help grinning at how she was surprised and covering her mouth with her hands as she gasped. 

He nodded. “it’s yours, Pookie.” He corrected her, the keys hanging from his fingers so she could take them.

“Mine? You....you got me a car!?” She teared up, her hands brushing her baby bump.

“No mother of my child is using the subway or taxi to move around.” He explained. He knew Claire would be moving around New York City with two children now, and it was time she had her own car; she should have had one all this time.

“Baby...” She sobbed. Claire hugged him tight, the baby kicking and moving around feeling how mom’s mood had switched. She cried against his neck. No one ever had done anything like this for her before. She didn’t even have help with the easy things. A mini van just so she didn’t have to take the subway anymore, was the best gesture anyone had done for her— so far. 

“Do you want to check it out?” He murmured, kissing her forehead a couple of times to reassure her.

Claire nodded. “Yes. Just one second.” She chuckled wiping her tears off her eyes, “Baby made me sick.” She nuzzled into him, trying to calm down the nausea the excitement and the baby getting alerted had caused her. 

Owen let her turn the Odyssey on, the engine roaring. The interior was everything leather and digital, the seats spacey and comfortable. It had three lines of two seats each, perfect for all three kids and the two of them plus a couple of friends.

Once Claire calmed down and was done pecking his lips over and over, thanking him for the gender reveal present he had gotten her, she wanted to go straight to the backyard. There were people setting the tables and everything was ready.

“Don’t you want to have a tour of the house?” Owen insisted. “I love you, but we both know those people will work better without you observing their every move.” He teased, but they both knew it was true. 

“Not really.” Claire wrinkled her nose. Owen guided her up to the front door, taking her hand in his.

“I heard is so elegant and luxurious. I swear everything in there is of your taste, you will love it.” He insisted. “Plus, it has this amazing gym and I really wanna check it out!” Owen gave her puppy eyes. 

Claire rolled her eyes, and once he pecked her lips lightly, she nodded. “Okay...but take this as a thank you for the van...I love it.” She was still very moved. 

“And I was thinking you’d thank me for it tonight.” He teased as he reached out for the doorbell and rang it. 

“That too...” Claire flirted. “Who knows, maybe we can lose your friend during the tour and we find a room where to hide.” She teased back. 

Owen licked his lips, loving that idea, and hugged Claire’s waist, kissing her lovingly. The sound of the door being opened interrupted their little moment.

“Hi guys! Please come on in!” A brunette young woman greeted them.

Owen nodded, and taking Claire’s hand, he stepped inside. The redhead gave Owen a death glare, completely ignoring the other woman’s presence.

“Please tell me this is not _her_ house.” Claire narrowed her eyes. She hoped Owen knew better than to pull off something like this. 

“Of course not!” Sara immediately addressed Claire’s concern. “I’m just here to give the tour, nothing more.” She added, before her eyes fell on Owen and the way his biceps were perfectly hugged by the polo shirt he was wearing.

Sara was a close friend of Owen’s, an architect with whom he had worked with for the past year. She and Claire had met before many times, and it was no secret that the redhead didn’t like her one bit.

The foyer had a wall size mirror on one side and a rack for coats and shoes on the other. The house was equipped with very elegant and luxurious furniture. Claire immediately loved the interior design. The floor was shining, it looked new. The light wooden tiles echoed the clicking of her heels as they walked in.

Owen ran his arm around Claire’s back, his eyes and attention set on her and the way she was reacting to the room. 

Sara stood on Owen’s other side and casually slid her arm around his bicep, “I’ll show you the living room first!” She offered with a smile, “it’s a sunken room.” 

Claire cleared her throat and brushed her hair with her fingers while looking around. She had noticed that woman was holding her man’s bicep. Owen turned to look at her and tilted his head. 

“After you.” He offered, his friend letting his arm loose from her embrace.

“What is she doing!?” Claire crossed her arms against her chest, watching the architect lead the way.

“You are always overreacting around her.” Owen found it adorable to see her so possessive. “I’ve told you many times, she’s just a friend.” He promised with a kiss to her nose.

Clair snorted, “Yeah... a friend who wouldn’t mind kneeling under your desk and blow you.” Just the thought of it was disturbing her. 

“Not at all...” Owen insisted. “We are buddies.” Claire scoffed before carefully walking down the few steps to her immediate right, entering the living room— which was probably the size of half her apartment.

The first floor had a very large kitchen, and directly connected to it was a dining room featuring a table to sit 8 people. It also had a full guest bathroom— One Claire asked if she could use since she was in that phase of her pregnancy where she had to pee every five minutes. 

Upstairs there were 3 rooms aside from the master bedroom, and three full bathrooms. Sara showed them each one. One of them was furnished to look like a boy’s room, and the other one like a girl’s; the third bedroom was empty, looking more like a guest one, so the architect didn’t spend much time there and quickly headed to the master bedroom.

“What’s in there?” Claire pointed out at a fourth room that was closed.

“That’s intended to be study… or a spare room… or both.” Sara rubbed the back of her neck. “So, this is the master bedroom.” She let them step in. It was huge, and the interior design was very elegant and modern. There was a little balcony too, overlooking the left side of the backyard and the neighboring house.

“Right now is the perfect moment to fulfil my deepest desire and throw her out of the window so we can get busy in here.” Claire grinned playfully. 

“Babe, come on…” Owen chuckled but couldn’t help scolding her a little.

“What?” She frowned. “She won’t stop staring at your ass and I am about ready to fight her.”

“She is NOT staring at my tush…” Owen rolled his eyes, then noticed Claire was looking at him incredulously, and moved them over to where the brunette was standing, completely daydreaming while admiring his perfectly round, perky behind.

“Do you need a towel, dear?” Claire offered condescendingly, that woman was obviously drooling over Owen. “What is she even doing here??” She kept insisting. She didn’t understand why Sara had to be there, that day, doing this stupid tour. 

Owen shrugged. “I think she is house sitting.” He offered. “Plus she designed it and all.” Claire rolled her eyes and pulled the sleeves of her cardigan down, playing with the edges. It figured that the owner was a friend in common, since Owen had said it was from a buddy from work.

“After you…” Sara offered, so they could see that dreamy master bathroom. Claire narrowed her eyes once they walked past her, and offering a warning look, the redhead slowly let her hand slid around Owen’s ass and cupped one of his butt cheeks.

“This is the room I want to mark with our presence.” Owen grinned. It had a bathtub AND a hot tub. 

“Cosign.” Claire agreed, that bathroom screamed sex. It had indeed been built for a couple to have sex in it. Lots of sex. “It doesn’t even have a shower.” Claire giggled mischievously.  

“You like that it doesn’t?” Owen wiggled his eyebrows mischievously. 

“I mean, yeah…since I am not the one dealing with the inconvenience…sure.” She kissed him gently a couple of times after feeling his hands wrap her lovingly. 

“There’s always the shower in the guest bathroom.” He shrugged.

“So, where’s the gym you were dying to check out?” Claire finally asked. 

“Yeah. I need to see it with my own eyes. My buddy won’t stop bragging about it!” He eyed Sara, who led the way to the gym located right next to the master bedroom. 

It had all kinds of workout machines, two treadmills, its own Smart TV, and a set of weights that would make any man jealous. Owen played there for a little while before finally heading to the backyard.

This one had its own gazebo and pool. It had a small playground and enough green area to go camping without leaving the property. Even with everything for their party set up outside, the place looked huge. Claire had been impressed the whole tour— aside from her irritation towards the woman who couldn’t stop checking her boyfriend out.

“This house is huge!” She finally pointed out. “Whose friend of yours is it again?” Claire wondered, “I not only have to thank them for letting us throw the party here because it is perfect, but you know, let them know that they have a beautiful house.” She smiled softly.

“Do you really like it that much?” Owen asked her casually, his eyes looking around. Claire nodded and looked over, trying to find his eyes. “Well, It’s yours.” He shrugged with a bright grin in his lips.

Claire chuckled incuriously. “What?” She teared up. “No…” She shook her head.

“Yes…We have been working on building it since you told me you were pregnant. We finished it last week.” He admitted. 

“No…you didn’t build me a house.” Claire sobbed, covering her eyes with her hands crying into them. 

“I love you, Claire. I promised you I would give you everything you needed and deserve.” Owen slowly moved her hands away from her face, watching tears running down her face, her green eyes filled with love and gratefulness.

She shook her head unable to find words and hugged him close, crying into the crook of his neck while he kissed the top of her head gently. “You got me a car and built me a house.” She sobbed, completely moved. 

“You are growing that gorgeous baby, so you still have the advantage.” He teased her, kissing her tears away. She sniffed and rested both her hands on her belly, feeling their baby kick. Sea monkey was also happy that they would have a new house. Claire’s apartment was small, and there barely was room for the couple and Mason; with the baby, plus Lizzie spending some weekends over, it would be too crowded. 

“So, this is my house?” Claire tilted her head. 

Owen nodded his head and gave her the key, “It’s under your name and so is the car.” He smiled.

“Huh…” She looked over at the brunette who was giving them a moment and standing a few feet away from them.

“I was thinking maybe we could ask her to stay? You know, have some steak and cake to thank her for designing the house and making sure everything was of your taste.” Owen suggested.

“Ha!” Claire shook her head and walked her out of the house. It was time for her to go.

 

* * *

 

Owen and his buddies had the time of their lives grilling for the couple dozen people at their party, including grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and both older siblings among friends from work from both sides. Mostly women were playing the games both Karen and Claire’s friends from work had come up with, and after some begging, they convinced the men to leave the grill and join them.

The kids were playing in the large backyard: there was room to come up with all sorts of games, and they were running all over the place. Both Mason and Lizzie loved it already. 

After lunch, Karen asked both Lizzie and Mason to help her with the cake: that way, both elder siblings could be involved in the gender revealing of their baby sister or brother. The cake was white with little baby blue and baby pink dots, with a tag line that read ‘we’re just here for the sex’. Karen had set it on a kart so both kids could drag it over to the table where both parents to be were waiting.

Mason and Lizzie were perfectly coordinated, and with the cake not being that big, they were also able to carry it up from the kart and onto the table. This was the first time Claire was seeing Mason smiling about something related to the new baby. She leaned down and planted a kiss on his cheek, leaving a lipstick stain on him. The eight-year-old blushed, and with a frown he tried to clean it up. Owen high-fived his daughter, who was desperate to find out if she’d have a baby sister or a baby brother. She couldn’t wait, and her enthusiasm was slowly making Mason think that maybe this wasn’t so bad. 

The dynamic was for both parents to cut the cake, and the middle layer would reveal the gender of their baby. Lizzie was standing next to Claire, and Mason next to Owen. Upon their arrival, each guest had been given a button with their gender guess. Lizzie was wearing both, since she was okay with either one, and Mason was wearing a blue one. He had given this a thought and had figured that if the baby was inevitable, it could at least be a boy, so he didn’t have to deal with a girl— currently in that stage where his mom and Lizzie were the only bearable females. Owen had already made him record himself talking badly about girls, so he could laugh about this in five years, or when he had his first crush.

Owen was hugging Claire from behind, his hands resting on her belly while he kissed her cheek tenderly. “Are you guys ready?” Claire asked the kids, who nodded eagerly. She then looked up at Owen, who was clearly nervous. He was thrilled they were having a baby, and would love that sea monkey equally, not matter what it was, but the anticipation had him anxious.

The couple exchanged a couple of pecks, both kids making a face— by now they were completely used to the PDAs between their parents, but when in public it got embarrassing. Claire reached out for the knife and Owen rested his hand on hers. He smiled at her and nodded, so they could cut one side and find out for once and for all.

The couple slowly cut a slice, just to leave Owen completely puzzled as to why there was neither a baby pink nor a baby blue layer inside the cake. He grabbed the knife once Claire had let go of it, and moving closer, he started cutting the cake in a million pieces, trying to find even only a dot.

“Baby, I don’t get—” He frowned, his eyes on Claire, before she took a cream pie from Lizzie and smashed it into his face. Owen hadn’t seen that one coming.

Claire covered her mouth and teared up, seeing how the cake all over Owen’s face was baby blue. Lizzie was jumping up and down, happy that she would have a baby brother, and Mason was fist pumping, glad that at least that baby wouldn’t be an ugly girl. Grandparents were crying, thrilled that they would have a baby grandson to spoil, and cousins were over the moon too, another boy joining the club. 

“What is it???” Owen kept asking, but Claire couldn’t talk while sobbing. After releasing a mischievous chuckle, Owen nuzzled into Claire’s face and kissed her lovingly, leaving some of the cake on her face too. “IT’S A BOY! IT’S A BOY!” Owen teared up seeing the baby blue in her face. Claire was unable to do much aside from nodding. He lifted her up and carefully twirled her around before leaving loving pecks on her belly. “IT’S A BOY!” He high fived Mason who was next to him, before he went back to kiss Claire. 

Once people left and congratulated them for their baby boy, Owen took Claire back upstairs. He smiled at her while holding her hands: they were standing in front of that room she had noticed was closed. “Wait here…” He requested. “Don’t peek!!” He begged her. She blushed and shook her head, promising not to.

Owen opened the door slightly and slid between the small crack before closing it behind him. Less than a minute later, he opened the door slowly and let her take a look at what was inside. 

“This is the fourth time you make me cry today.” She teared up. It was the nursery. It was still colorless, but it was equipped with the necessary furniture.

“I built the crib, everything else is purchased.” He confessed. 

“You built our baby boy a crib?” She cried completely moved. “Owen…” She sobbed feeling him hugging her. “It’s beautiful.” 

“I still got you a bassinet for his first months for when he will roomie with us.” Owen assured her. “But this is something I wanted to build for him.” He smiled. 

“I love you…” She hugged his neck and kissed him lovingly. “Thank you. Thank you for being the dad I need for my babies and thank you for being the man I need.” She couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. 

“I love you too.” He nodded. “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be the father I always wanted to be.” He teared up. “I promise I won’t screw up.” He sniffed, kissing her lips lovingly. 

“I don’t want to leave.” She caressed her belly. 

“Good, because there are moving trucks with our stuff heading over as we speak!” Owen announced, cleaning her tears with tender kisses. 

“Really?” She grinned. 

Owen nodded. “One last thing…for today…” He walked over to the crib and brought a small gift back. It was wrapped in baby blue wrap, he had a baby pink one in that crib but that one he would have to return now that they had the official gender. 

Claire smiled at the present and upon taking it, she carefully unwrapped it. It was a baby blue wooden brachiosaurus with white spots on his back that read ‘Baby Grady’. Claire smiled lovingly at the door hanger and kissed Owen a couple of times.

Owen fetched his tools, and together, they hung the baby dinosaur on the door, officially having a nursery room for their baby boy.

 

* * *

 

 

To watch the sims tour of the new house, click [here](https://www.dropbox.com/s/il9abrbg1mg6psq/Video-2.mp4?dl=0).

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A special thank you to my editor-in-Chief who eagerly asked me if she could design and built the house on Sims. If you want to check it out, the tour video has been linked at the button of the chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

“I am not naming our son after a stoner, I don’t care how influential he was.” Claire kept vetoing Owen’s name suggestions.

“But you said you wanted his name to mean something! And Jimmi Hendrix was simply the best electric guitar player ever!” Owen insisted.

Claire rolled her eyes.

“Do I need to show you his LEGENDARY performance at Woodstock?” Owen was ready to find that video on youtube for Claire.

“No. You already showed it to me.... twice...today.” She sighed. “I like Benjamin.” She insisted, smiling down to her large 9-month belly and caressing it softly. She had been wanting that name for a boy since the first time they had brought the subject up 7 months before.

“That’s too biblical.” Owen made a face. 

“Is it?” Claire wasn’t the most religious person, and she couldn’t name more than three biblical characters even if her life depended on it — and that included Jesus and Satan. “I mean after Benjamin Franklin, founding father of our nation.” She sighed lovingly while she bonded with her baby bump. 

“Too nerdy and boring.” Owen protested. “Do you understand the amount of swag our baby boy will have?” Owen was trying to convince Claire to name their baby son something ‘cool’. “And you want to cut that potential by giving him that name? I’m sorry, I didn’t know we were giving birth to an 80-year-old.” 

“ _We_ are giving birth?” Claire blinked a couple of times. 

“Yeah.” Owen frowned. “You and me.”

Claire snorted at that; last time she checked, she was the one carrying the extra weight and dealing with the symptoms.

“Wow....Okay.” Owen was slightly disappointed, but instead of putting too much thought into it, he quietly added it to the ‘hormonal bitch’ list he had been mentally carrying for the last few months.

“You are just saying no to it because I won’t give our son a horrible name.” Claire shrugged, bringing the conversation back to the original subject. 

Owen gasped. “The disrespect! He is part of this nation’s history. Just like those old dudes you keep bringing up!” 

“Says the one who—you know what? I don’t want to fight over this.” She stopped herself and sighed. “Last time it ended up ugly.” She smiled shyly, remembering that night a week or so ago.

“Yeah...” He caressed her baby bump, “My back hurt for days.” He recalled, rubbing the back of his head, a playful smirk dancing on his lips. “That’s not a good couch for night overs.” 

Claire shook her head. “A half empty bed is not good either.” She bit her lip. The two of them exchanged a loving smile.

The redhead adjusted, grunting at how much her hips and back hurt: she had been that uncomfortable for a week or so now. Owen inched close and made sure her pillows were the way she liked them, gently helping her sit up before he fixed them. 

The couple shared a moment, their eyes breaking contact only after closing them, both engaging in a loving kiss. They exchanged a couple of pecks before pulling back. 

“How about the names we both like? Do you have that list?” Claire had asked Owen to keep one. She knew this whole name thing was a war zone for them, but she kept having in mind that she should be due soon and they were running out of time to decide.

Owen reached out to his nightstand to fetch his phone and open the list, but he froze halfway to it.

“That was not me!” He swore on his life at the odd sensation felt through the sheets. Claire was very strict, and dropping a glass of water in bed would break hell loose; he was positive that whatever that was, would upset her beyond words.

He turned back, Claire frowning while holding her belly. “I know...” She breathed.

“Babe?” Owen tossed the blanket she had over her to the side, finding a large puddle around her.

“My waters just broke.” Claire smiled faintly. “So, let’s see that list!” She wiggled her fingers demanding to see it. “Hurry up!! As you can see, I don’t have all day!” She pointed out at her belly.

“RIGHT!” Owen was already panicking. He had jumped out of bed the moment she confirmed her amniotic fluid was all over their mattress.

“OWEN!?” Claire had to shout to snap him out of the shock he had entered.

“I HAVE TO TAKE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL!!” He started rushing in just his boxers around their bedroom, looking for his clothes and for hers; all he could process at this moment was that his girlfriend needed a hospital.

Claire on her end, just rolled her eyes. She had done this before — and mostly on her own. She was calm and knew she had time; the last contraction she’d had, had been about five hours before, and those were coming daily for over a week now.

She managed to sit up on her own and stand up. “Babe?” She tried to get Owen’s attention as he ran from their bathroom back to the bedroom, juggling with a pair of pants while he tried to put them on. “BABE!” She called out a second time, she was now standing in front of him, her hands over his shoulders.

Owen was panting by now: he was scared, not familiar with the whole situation, but the loving smile on Claire’s face was reassuring him, and he couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with happiness. “Our baby is on his way...” He murmured.

Claire nodded softly. “We already packed.” She took the balled up clothes he was carrying and set them on the edge of the bed. “Let’s go, we have a baby to welcome to this world.” She teared up.

Owen timidly, almost shaking, reached out for her belly. Claire took his hand in hers, and closing the space between them, she let him touch it.

“You get Mason? I’ll call my parents and Karen.” She suggested. Owen kissed her softly, and with a nod he went to get the nine-year-old.

“Hey Ace?” Owen made it to Mason’s room; he was now sitting on the edge of his bed. “It’s time.” He beamed.

The boy had already been told the plan. He was going to go stay with his aunt until the baby came.

“You are about to become a big brother.” Owen fetched the kid’s jacket.

“It’s 10PM!” He complained, reading his alarm clock with a grunt while he got into his jacket and tennis shoes.

“Come on!” Owen lifted him over his shoulder and grabbed his already made bag too. Mason sleepily hugged the man’s neck while they walked out of the bedroom. 

The boy didn’t look up until Claire met them at the master bedroom’s door. “Does it hurt?” He frowned, concerned, his feet now on the ground, Owen helping him put his backpack over his shoulders. 

“Not yet.” Claire assured him. “I’m fine.” She promised, kissing his forehead. 

“Do you need help with anything?” The kid held her hand and took small steps with her.

“I need you to be good to Aunt Karen, can you do that?” She walked with him. Owen was by her other side, carrying her bag in one hand and with his other arm around her back. Both her boys were making sure she went downstairs one step at a time. 

Mason nodded, his green eyes fixed on her. He was scared. “On TV women are always screaming when they are having a baby.” He explained the reasoning behind his look. “Can I come with you?” He asked one last time, like he did every time they talked about how the next couple of days would play out.

He knew Claire and the new baby would have to stay in the hospital for a couple of days after he was born, but that didn’t mean anything was wrong; it was just to keep them safe and monitored. Aside from a night over at Lizzie’s or at his aunt’s or grandparent’s, he had never spent the night away from Claire, and the thought of being apart for more than one night was unsettling to him.

“You and Lizzie will come with Aunt Karen tomorrow morning, okay? So, we will see each other soon.” She promised her eldest.

The kid nodded and opened the passengers door for her while Owen helped her into the Odyssey. 

“Wait…Can you go get a towel and a plastic bag, baby?” She asked Mason. “I don’t want the seat to smell later on.” She suggested, thinking about her car and the scent her fluids would leave in it before anything else.

Even the nine-year-old found that abnormal and looked up, trying to find some sort of reassurance from Owen, who just rolled his eyes. Mason nodded and ran off inside, taking a couple of minutes to come back with a towel and a large plastic bag. 

“No… those are the good towels!!!” Claire shook her head.

“God, Claire! Who cares! If that baby falls off neither of us will know what to do and probably will faint.” Owen was completely worried, not understanding why Claire was not in any rush. 

Mason ran off and went back into the house to get one of the old towels Claire kept around for Molly’s needs. Karen would come to pick the dog up later.

“Calm down, alright?” Claire demanded, “Jeez… we still have plenty of time.” She rolled her eyes. “This is not my first time at the rodeo, you know?” She smiled softly, offering Owen a peck.

The boy started to set the towel over the seat and then the bag, making sure the seat was wrapped in it. Then, Owen was finally able to help his girlfriend sit down and close the door. 

Mason crawled into the back and helped Owen set Claire’s bag there with him. His eyes were glued to his mom, making sure she was fine.

“Do you think we can drop him off at Karen’s first?” Claire looked back behind her seat to make sure Mason was doing okay.

“Sure. Don’t you want to stay there for a cup of tea? Chat a bit…I don’t know maybe have a slumber party and all.” Owen shook his head. The plan was to have Karen meet them at the hospital and take Mason home with her from there. 

“So, no?” Claire teased him, kissing his cheek gently. She then reached out for his hand and brought it to her lips for a tender kiss. “Babe, you are sweating.” She giggled. 

“Yes, and I am sure my knees are having a seizure on their own, too.” He kept driving to the highway so they could head to the hospital.

Claire smiled lovingly and kissed his hand a couple of times, “Thank you.” She knew having Owen there was a great deal. “And before anything starts, I want you to know that I love you…and that I won’t really mean anything that I might tell you.” She tried to find his eyes, “Or rather, _yell_ at you.” She corrected herself.

Owen nodded, “I love you too.” He then brought their hands over to his lips to return some of those kisses.

The red light they found halfway to the hospital felt like it was taking forever. Mason was crying, terrified, while Claire was screaming for her life in the middle of a very strong contraction. Owen kept honking at the traffic light, unable to do anything.

“MAKE IT TURN GREEN!!!!!!” Claire demanded while she held her belly and rode that contraction. 

“I’m trying, baby! I’m trying!” Owen kept honking. The car screeched against the asphalt the moment the traffic light finally changed, and they were good to go. “I told you we should have taken the emergency route!” Owen looked in the rearview mirror to check on Mason, who was sobbing, worried about his mom.

Minutes into the highway, Owen took their exit, the GPS informing them that they were just ten minutes away from the hospital, reminding them they were now in a 20 miles per hour limit street.

“See, no need for the emergency route, this one was just fine.” Claire smiled, caressing her baby bump. The two of them had worked on two alternate routes to the hospital now that they lived in the suburbs. Claire’s contractions were still too far apart — She had only had one after her waters had broken — She figured there was no need for the emergency route, which would have Owen speeding at 65 miles per hour on the highway. 

“Mmhmm…” Owen’s hands were still trembling on the wheel as he parked their minivan. Claire had texted Karen, who had already made it to the hospital and had a nurse ready with a wheelchair to meet them.

Once inside, Claire had a moment with Mason before he left with her sister. The boy’s eyes set on Claire while his hand was gentle on her baby bump. “Next time we see each other, you’ll be a big brother.” She smiled faintly. “You are excited about that, aren’t you?” She pouted, feeling her eyes tearing up a little. 

Mason nibbled on his lower lip and looked down, feeling Claire’s fingers brushing his dark hair back and gently pulling him close so he could lean in and let her kiss his forehead. After a few seconds, he nodded.

“I love you.” She assured him, cleaning her tears. Up until that moment, it had only been the two of them, and she knew this would change the whole dynamic. “And your baby brother loves you too.” She gulped. 

Mason frowned, still quiet, feeling his mother’s hand resting on his on her belly. “I love you too.” He offered with a sniff.

“Do you feel him kicking?” She smiled, tilting her head. Mason nodded. “That’s him telling you that he can’t wait to meet you.” The boy’s eyes slowly met his mom’s. “Come here.” She opened her arms and let the kid give her a hug before he had to go. “See you tomorrow okay, baby?” The kid nodded, and once Karen took his hand, he waved goodbye before they left.

 

* * *

 

“God!!!!” She screamed in a high-pitched note, her nails clawing around Owen’s wrist. It had been a couple of hours since they had made it to the hospital, and her contractions were starting to get stronger and closer one to another. 

At this point of it all, Owen tried to stay silent for the most part, since Claire was a little too sensitive and anything could make her explode, so he stood there, gulping the pain her nails were digging into his flesh.

Once the contraction was over, she would be left panting, completely exhausted. “What are you looking at!?” She spat at a couple of nurses who were looking her way. “Can you get them out of here? They are stressing me out!” She asked the impossible, it was a hospital after all.

“I can’t just make them leave, sweetheart. They are here to help.” Owen reminded her. “However, them not staring would be appreciated.” He called out loud enough for them to hear before focusing back on Claire, biting his lower lip almost nervously. Despite her being uncomfortable and grumpy, he reached up with a cold cloth and just worked on cooling her down by keeping it placed on her forehead lightly.

“Do  N O T  sweetheart me, Grady!” She insisted. “How many times have I asked you that, jeez!” She looked away and closed her eyes, trying to relax so the pain could go away. 

Owen frowned, letting his thumb massage her knuckles, trying to help her ease up a bit. 

“You know… if we didn’t have to sit here and wait for THESE ASSHOLES to get this baby out of me, that would be SUPER.” She rubbed the back of her head. She looked down at his thumb and leaned over, resting her head against him. “Please just take me out of this misery.” She mumbled. “Just get down there and get him out.”

He sighed softly. However, when she leaned against him, he just raised one of his hands to lightly brush her hair in a gentle manner, kissing the top of her head softly in the process. “Just calm yourself down, try and take steady breaths for me, Okay?” He had only ever heard about what birth could be like, so he wasn’t taking anything she said seriously at this point; just like she had made him promise.

“CALM DOWN?” How about you try pushing 8 pounds out of your ass? see how ‘CALM’ you’ll stay!” Women got a little frustrated during labor, but that combined with Claire’s strong personality had the whole Nurse Station staring. 

“Can we get a room here please!?” Owen called out. They had been told to wait a little, that was the down side about public hospitals. His attention then went back to Claire, his hand still making sure he kept that cold cloth against her sweaty forehead.

“Listen, I know you are trying to help and all, but that’s not doing anything.” She grumbled. “I just want to lie down...” she whimpered in desperation. 

He took two steps away from her to check on that room, and she was already screaming while going through another contraction. That was the second one in the span of fifteen minutes, which was good news.

A sigh left his lips as she once again began shouting and just shot apologetic looks towards the people around him, surely anyone with kids would understand the current situation though.

The nurses were already done with her attitude, and since she had demanded them to leave her alone, — calling them incompetent and many other things — that’s what they had done. However, they were also aware she was close, so they went get her labor and delivery room ready. 

 

* * *

 

“This is it. It’s almost over.” He was trying to reassure her once they had moved her and she was now lying on her own bed. How she would take it was the real question. “I know I’ve said this before, and I know you hate me for it but control your breathing, please.” His voice was soft, his hazel eyes meeting hers. He just wanted her to know he was going to be there regardless. Even if she had told him to leave a couple of times already, he wouldn’t dare even let go of her hand. “In and out, gorgeous…in and out…” He did the breathing exercise along with her.

Claire nuzzled close to him while he kissed her forehead. She got needy and clingy between contractions, just seeking reassurance while she tried to recover.

“Ba-babe, I think there’s another one coming.” She reached out so he could hold her hand. She sat up in pain while she screamed as loud as she could. This one lasted longer than the previous ones. “GOD... what did you do to me??!!!” She cried, panting, while the contraction eased down. “This is all your fault, you bastard!!!” She started throwing the pillows at him, which wasn’t a good idea since she needed them. “Why is the stupid doctor taking so long!?” She leaned over, massaging her legs. “They are cramped...” she frowned.

Owen decided against talking to her and just laced their fingers together, bringing her hand up to place a gentle kiss on it, before reaching up to brush strands of hair out of her face. “Just think, we’ll have him in our life in just a little while. Just think about him, our baby boy. He’s almost here.” He offered.

It was in the few minutes she had to rest from contractions that she hoped he didn’t hate her. “My head hurts.” She was sweating too. “I want out.” She begged, shaking her head, “It hurts like hell...” She gulped closing her eyes and pressing her forehead against his. “Can they shoot me? How about you knock me out? A good punch should do; I sure as hell deserve it.” She begged.

Owen took advantage of this minute of her being calm to pick the pillows up and adjust them to her liking. “There’s no way in hell I’m going to even lay a hand on you in that way, ever. I’m right by your side and I’m not leaving.” His voice was gentle as he spoke. 

When the doctor finally walked in, Owen’s gaze fell on Claire and he gave her a reassuring smile. He just kept a grip on her hand and let the doctor talk to her. Owen barely focused on his words though, as he was just focused on Claire and the pain she was in, wishing he could take all of it from her.

“Say that again.” She gulped, her tired green eyes fixed on his. “The part where you won’t leave.” She frowned, another contraction interrupting her thought. They were starting to come one after the other, the pain was unbearable. “God— I don’t know how I would survive this without you here.” She teared up, holding his hand as tight as she could. 

“Alright, you are almost there.” The doctor announced after a quick check-up and gave her instructions. She nodded and immediately started to follow them.

She lay back down on her back and kept her legs bent up.  “I don’t care that we said no favorites…but I better be the favorite after this.” She chuckled about how they agreed their baby wouldn’t have a favorite between the two; she was still hoping it was that way, though.

Despite the contraction that came after her words, Owen still found himself trying to relax her to some extent. “I’m not leaving, not now, not ever. We’re gonna raise this baby, we’re gonna be the perfect little family, and soon enough… I’ll make you Mrs Grady.” He promised. Of course, he was speaking in the heat of the moment, trying to calm her down, but he still meant everything he was saying. He let her grip his hand as tight as she needed, while she rode another contraction. He would even let her shout at him as much as she wanted; he just wanted their little boy in the world and Claire out of pain.

“Even when you are here being perfect to me and I keep insulting you?” She panted, “The Grady-Dearing family.” She smiled at his words. They did manage to calm her down for a second before the final contraction came along. 

The doctor got ready to welcome that little baby into the world. He called Owen over so he could see for himself. He would have to let go of Claire’s hand so he could stand in front of her and watch how she slowly kept pushing that little head out. That was the most painful part; once the head was out, the baby would find help from the doctor and carefully be pulled out.

“Especially right now. It’s like the good old days when we used to tease and insult each other.” He joked, kissing Claire’s hand lightly. Owen hesitated to let go of her, but did anyways. As he went to stand near the doctor, he reached over to rest a gentle hand on Claire’s knee to show her he was still there.

“You’re doing great baby, just a little more. Just a little more and we’ll have him.” He kept the reassuring words going as his gaze fell to where the doctor instructed. After witnessing this first hand, he would respect her so much. Women really were the strongest of the two genders, especially if they went through this all to have a family.

Claire did nothing but screaming in pain and pushing. She wanted and needed Owen by her side, but she knew he deserved this, and watch their son be brought to life. 

“Keep pushing, babe! Baby Hendrix is almost here!!” He was growing impatient, watching how little by little that head was approaching. 

“FUCK. NO!” Claire gasped out of air and exhausted.

“You need to keep pushing…” The doctor demanded. 

“I am NOT pushing a Hendrix out of my vagina!! FORGET IT, Grady!!” She cried in pain.

In a matter of a few minutes, a different kind of crying filled the room. A healthy baby at 8.54 pounds and 20.2 inches was born on October 30th at 3AM. The doctor handed Owen the tweezers so he could cut the umbilical cord and a nurse waited with a towel to take the baby and quickly clean him up before handing him over to the mother. 

Owen was right; once the baby was out the pain stopped, for the most part. She was sore, but at that moment she didn’t care. Claire was still crying and sweating in pain when the baby was placed in her arms. She held him close to her chest and let him curl his perfect little fingers around hers. 

“He looks like an Ethan, don’t you think?” She suggested lightly. That was one of the names at the top of her mind that they both had liked. “…And he looks just like you, too.” She said, softly tearing up, her green eyes moving over from the new baby to Owen, who offered her a loving peck.

“You are my heroine.” Owen offered: his admiration for her was beyond what words could describe. He slowly reached out, wanting to hold his son, but the way Claire’s eyes were looking at him made him tilt his head to the side.

“No…” She gently moved the baby away from Owen. “Mine…” She murmured, not wanting to let go of her baby just yet. She looked down at their baby and heard Owen release a light sigh. “I love him so much…” She sniffed, unable to get enough of her baby boy.

Owen nodded, “I love him too.” He teared up, gently brushing his fingers down the baby’s head, letting Claire have all the time she needed with him.


	4. Chapter 4

Owen and Claire had found a way to share her bed through the night. He had been fine on the partner chair they had in her room, but Claire had insisted for them to squeeze together so they could cuddle.

Their nurse had already found both parents awake and comfortable on the bed when she paid them a little visit. She had baby Grady with her, rolling him over to mom’s bed in his hospital bassinet.

Claire immediately lit up. She had wanted to spend the night with him but because of his time of birth they had declined that request; the baby boy still had to go through some check ups and immunization, not to mention the usual procedure to help him raise his temperature.

Owen sat up, his fingers gently caressing Claire’s back as she reached out so she could hold her son. “I missed him so much.” She squealed feeling the softness of his presence against her. 

“It’s time for his breakfast. I’ll go get yours while the baby gets fed.” The nurse made sure Claire’s hand was careful with his little head.

“Okay.” Claire nodded. “We are starving.” She agreed about both her and Owen needing some food too. She slowly adjusted so she could breastfeed her baby just like she had done minutes after his birth.

It was eight in the morning, just five hours after both parents had last seen him, but it felt like they hadn’t seen him in years. Claire was unable to stop kissing his little nose and his soft cheeks, Owen gently letting his son curl his little fingers around his thumb.

The nurse nodded. “Do you need help, or you got this?” They knew from her file that this was her second child and by the look of it, Claire hadn’t forgotten how to breastfeed even after nine years — it was like riding a bike, though the burning sensation was something she surely hadn’t missed.

“We are good...” She murmured, her eyes set lovingly on her baby, who was neatly wrapped in his blanket.

Owen was quietly admiring what he thought was the most perfect picture in the whole world. The woman he loved nurturing his son, and seeing them bond was bringing tears to his eyes.

Claire was gentle when she adjusted and fixed herself so their baby could latch on her and start feeding. Her breasts had felt full and heavy for a week now, so her baby eating was offering a relieving sensation. 

Owen was smiling, kissing her neck from behind while he made sure he didn’t lose a second of it. Watching his girlfriend go through this emotional and physical journey with their baby was very moving for him too. 

“Does it hurt?” He murmured, his baby letting go of that thumb and gently placing his little hand on Claire’s breast, blissfully sucking. He was very hungry, and happy that mommy was finally there with him.

“Yeah...but I don’t care.” Claire murmured back, looking over her shoulder, exchanging a loving kiss with him.

Once baby Grady was full, he let go of his mother and nuzzled close. The nurse got in just in time to assist Claire to burp him so she wouldn’t be too hard on his little back, and to refresh her memory on the perfect posture. 

Claire giggled at the little sound. “That’s my son.” Owen chuckled slowly, brushing his fingers on the baby’s back. “We are gonna have the best burping contests, aren’t we?” He cooed, immediately shaking his head, taking it back at the look on Claire’s face. 

The nurse offered a friendly chuckle at his little joke and started filling the baby’s paperwork. She started asking both parents’ full names and place of birth as well as other personal information they needed to process baby Grady’s birth certificate.

Owen had their breakfast on his lap while Claire kept their baby with her. He was feeding her while the baby ate, both answering everything the nurse needed from them.

“Have you guys decided on a name yet?” She needed that information.

“Benjamin.” Claire offered simultaneously to Owen’s “Hendrix.” The nurse was not a stranger to the scenario where parents couldn’t agree on the name they wanted for their child. 

“I swear, Owen... If you name our baby that, I’ll leave you!” She threatened, “And I’ll take him with me.” She was dead serious.

“It’s okay. There’s no rush.” The nurse offered to give them more time to figure this one out. “Whenever you are ready just let me know and I’ll write it on his paperwork.” She reassured them, and after making sure everything was in place with both the mom and the baby, she started to leave. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours, check on his diaper and temperature.” She figured baby Grady could hang out with mom and dad for a while now. 

Claire narrowed her eyes at Owen before pecking his lips a couple of times. She slowly let Owen take the baby while she went to the bathroom so she could shower. She was feeling gross already, and needed to get into a clean gown.

“Hey there Lil’ Man.” He smiled, happy that Claire was finally letting go of the baby even if only for a few minutes. Owen let his hazel eyes take in every inch of that small creature. He kissed his nose softly and tenderly cleaned the little bubbles he was making.

The baby wiggled, happy that he was bonding with his dad now. Owen let his finger gently bring one of those fragile hands up and smiled at his little nails. He reached out for his little mittens and was careful when putting them on him. 

“I can’t wait to teach how to pee your name in the snow and how to burp the ABCs...you know, cool dad-son stuff.” Owen couldn’t help tearing up. He had never felt such overflowing love for anyone before. 

He was madly in love with the woman who had given him the most precious gift he could ever ask for, but this was a different kind of love. He loved his eldest daughter too, but it hadn’t been until now that he actually felt the need to give them everything he could, and how he would sacrifice his life for them both — and for Mason — in a heartbeat.

In that precious moment, Owen knew he would gladly starve in favor of feeding them first, and put their needs before his.

Once his son fell asleep, Owen found a way to stand up and put him back down in his bassinet to let him rest. Claire came out of the bathroom just in time, drying her hair with a towel, to witness it.

Owen was facing the bathroom door, grinning at the redhead as she teared up. He inched closer and hugged her waist, some baby weight still evident, but he was already missing that baby bump sandwiched between the two of them.

“How are you feeling, mommy?” He asked her, kissing her lovingly and walking with her to the bed. 

Claire sighed and smiled softly, nuzzling into his neck as they both sat on the edge of the bed. “Exhausted...” She murmured, kissing his neck a couple of times before their lips met. 

“Then let’s get that hair dried and take a very well deserved nap.” Owen started making the bed comfortable for her while she made sure her hair was dried.

Having their son in the room was stimulating Claire to keep looking over; she was like a little girl with a new toy, unable to keep her eyes off him and stop herself from wanting to be with him.

“Babe...” Owen pulled from her gown. Maybe his physical exhaustion wasn’t as bad as hers, but he too was tired, drained, and his protective senses couldn’t stop tinkling. He had to make sure she was resting and asleep so he could rest and get some sleep.

“I’m sorry, he is just so precious and so beautiful. I can’t get enough of him.” She insisted. It had been an hour since her shower, and the baby was fast asleep. Claire knew better than waking him up, so she admired him from a distance.

Owen’s arms wrapped around his girlfriend tight, keeping her in bed. “I know, but you need to rest, babe.” He suggested kissing her neck and her cheek adoringly as he spooned her.

Claire whined, knowing he was right.

“Besides, the kids will be here to meet him after school.” He reminded her. It was Brenda’s turn to have them for Halloween, which had worked perfectly, as according to their tradition, they were starting their two-night sleepover that day.

“Oh yes, Mason promised to show me his costume today when we talked over the phone this morning.” Claire smiled. Just like the year before, Owen had helped him put it together and the kid was very excited about it. 

Soon, the nurse was back and agreed to take the baby back to the nursery. He needed to spend some time there to keep working on his temperature and give mommy some time to rest as well. 

Once the baby boy was gone, Claire managed to immediately fall asleep. She had turned around and was facing Owen, her face buried in his neck as she managed to sleep for a couple of hours.

Owen woke up a few minutes before she did, and settled happily with watching her sleep for a while. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. He was also wanting to just call his son by a name, so with a soft kiss to Claire’s temple, he started to get out of bed.

Claire whimpered, not wanting him to leave the bed and still curled up under the sheet, she sleepily watched him tie his shoes. “Where are you going?” She pouted. He didn’t put those on when walking around the room or stepping into their bathroom. 

“Going to look for our nurse. I’m ready to give our baby a name.” He smiled softly her way. 

“No! Owen!” Claire had never sat up so fast in her life. “Don’t . You . Dare! I swear to god!” She watched him walk out of their room.

Claire threw the blankets to the side and jumped into her slippers. There was no way in hell she would have a son named Hendrix. 

“Miss Dearing!!” One of the nurses called out, watching the woman who had delivered a baby not even 12 hours before, run out of her room. 

The redhead gasped, watching Owen do what looked like asking the doors to close on her way to the elevator. The thought of using the stairs crossed her mind, but the second elevator opened for her the moment she called it up.

She knew he was heading to the nurse station looking for their nurse, so she headed that way. Claire had more willpower than anyone in that building, and the fact that she had just pushed a 9-pound baby out of her vagina was not stopping her from rushing through those corridors.

“That’s a beautiful name, you and your girlfriend picked a great one.” The nurse nodded with a smile before her facial expression changed completely.

“Thank you. She didn’t like it at first, but I think she warmed up to it.” Owen added before following the nurse’s eyes.

The young lady stopped Claire from jumping on Owen to kill him as she insisted that she needed some rest, and fetched a wheelchair for her. “Now, Miss Dearing, you shouldn’t be up here like this. Let’s get you back to your room so you can properly rest.” She offered, letting Owen wheel her back.

“I hope you know that from now on we are no longer together.” She crossed her arms while she let Owen push the wheelchair to the elevator. 

Owen just chuckled, knowing she was not being serious — or at least hoping she wasn’t.

“I’m leaving you and I’m taking that baby with me. I’m keeping the house and the car, and you can go live in a cardboard box for all I care.” She frowned. 

Once in her room, she stood up from the chair and got in bed. Owen sat on the edge and gently let his fingers brush her leg. Claire didn’t snatch his touch away, but she turned her head to the side.

“Come here Pookie.” He offered his lap, the redhead slowly sitting on it and exchanging a loving kiss with him, her fingers brushing the back of his head as she offered him a light moan.

“The name suits him alright?” Owen promised, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “You said so yourself.”

“When!? When did I say that ugly name suits our baby?” She pouted.

Owen shook his head, his fingers caressing her cheek lovingly while their eyes met. “You love me more than you hate that name, don’t you?” He grinned.

“Yeah.” She frowned. “You are lucky I can’t live without you.” She pouted.

Owen took her hands and kissed them lovingly before lacing their fingers. “And I love you more than Mr Jimi Hendrix himself.” He nodded, brushing their noses together and stealing a couple of kisses from her.

“Here comes baby Ethan ready for his meal...” the nurse greeted them with a light smile while she pushed his bassinet over to the couple.

Claire smiled wide and turned to look at Owen, who nodded softly and kissed her cheek lovingly.

The nurse handed mom her baby so she could hold him for a little. “Hi handsome...” She murmured, the baby releasing a soft coo and adjusting against her chest. “He does look like an Ethan.” She sobbed, recalling that in the middle of her pain and overwhelming state after giving birth, she had suggested that name. 

Claire kissed his little hands and slowly took his mittens off. She stood up from Owen’s lap and handed the baby over so she could get comfortable to feed him. 

Claire kissed his tiny forehead once the baby was back in her arms, immediately relaxing once he latched. “He looks so much like you, too.” Claire mirrored her observation from the day before.

“He does.” Owen chuckled, kissing Claire gently a couple of times while their baby fed. 

“Were you serious when you said you wanted to name him Owen?” She looked up from their baby and smiled softly. 

He chuckled, remembering that. It had been something he had mentioned when she had told him she was pregnant. 

“Because I think it would be a cute middle name.” She offered, feeling how their baby was happily feeding. “Ethan Owen Grady.” She offered, her eyes falling on the little one.

“I like it.” Owen agreed. “I love him.” He reached out brushing his fingers along the baby, feeling him wiggle around his blanket. 

“He doesn’t like to be bothered when eating.” Claire giggled, loving every little thing they learned about their baby’s personality.

“Watch that attitude there, Junior. Those were mine, first.” Owen said, gently grabbing his little hand to offer a kiss but Ethan took it back and rested it against Claire’s breast again before going back to eat.

Claire sobbed happily and leaned against Owen while he played with his fingers through her hair. “This is his world right here…” She offered. “Mom and dad and eating and sleeping.” 

“And pooping.” Owen added.

“Remind me again what I see in you?” She teased, feeling his lips pressing against her temple.

“I would, but there are babies present.” 

Claire chuckled and looked back, letting him kiss her fully.

 

* * *

 

That afternoon, Brenda had taken both elder siblings to meet their baby brother like agreed. They had stopped by the house so they could put on their Halloween costumes, even if there were still over 24-hours for the holiday to come around.

Owen came out to meet her at the waiting room so he could bring the kids inside with him. Claire was in her room with Ethan, letting him nap for a little while so he could be awake for Lizzie and Mason. The kids had already been told not to run in the hall three times on their way. 

Owen slowly opened the door, finding Claire smiling softly once she saw both kids standing in front of him. “Hey baby…” She greeted Mason, who slowly inched towards the bed. His green eyes immediately fell on the baby she was holding. “You guys look so amazing.” She offered, not forgetting to acknowledge the costumes they were wearing that day.

“I am a Halo 4 Warrior!” He explained, setting his helmet down on a chair nearby. “And I am Wonder Woman!” Lizzie grinned.

“You look gorgeous.” She assured the blonde girl, “And you look so badass, babe.” She nodded at Mason, who was being encouraged by Owen to step closer and say hi to his mom. 

This was an overwhelming feeling for the 9-year old. He was now sharing the only person he had had for most of his life, and at the same time he didn’t look like a threat at all. Mason gulped and leaned close, letting Claire kiss his cheek softly.

“This is Ethan, your baby brother.” Claire murmured, gently moving the baby’s blanket so Mason could see his face.

The nine-year-old was quiet, nibbling on his lower lip. “Hi.” He offered, letting his fingers brush down the baby’s body over the blanket. Ethan wiggled and nibbled on his lip while cooing softly.

“I love you.” Claire reassured Mason, nothing had changed. “And he loves you too.” She teared up. She had promised herself she was not going to push Mason, letting him accept the baby at his own pace. “Do you love him?” She sniffed.

Mason looked down and nodded softly; he moved his eyes up and watched his mom sniff and smile, taking that nod as all he was able to offer at the moment.

“Did you wash your hands?” She wondered. “There’s a bathroom over there, and once you are back you can hold your baby brother.” She offered. She knew Lizzie was dying to do so, and immediately rushed to wash her hands. Mason followed after receiving a couple of kisses on his forehead from his mother. 

Once back, both kids stood on each side of the bed, letting Owen sit on the edge so he could be close to Claire and watch the whole interaction.

“He looks like daddy!” Lizzie immediately noticed. Claire chuckled, glad she wasn’t the only one seeing it. “Can I give him a kiss?” She asked with a light smile. Claire nodded and let the elder sister kiss the baby’s cheek gently, Ethan cooing at the warm feeling of the girl close to him.

“He loves your kisses already.” Claire assured her.

“I love him so much already!” She squealed.

Mason quietly watched how Lizzie was so engaged in the whole baby thing: she had been like that ever since they had told her she would be having a baby brother, and was always actively finding ways to be involved in the baby’s things. Maybe it was all in his head and this was a good thing? It sure wasn’t her mom the one with a new baby, but she didn’t mind sharing Owen – or him, for that matter. 

“Can I give him a kiss too?” The boy frowned, watching how his mother’s face lit up, subconsciously registering how happy it made her when he asked to be involved in the baby’s things.

Claire nodded and teared up, seeing her eldest son bend down and kiss the baby’s forehead. Ethan moved his arms lightly and Claire smiled. “You are going to be his hero, aren’t you?” She asked.

“Me?” He tilted his head watching Claire nod. She reached out for his hand and gently made him touch that little hand that was reaching out. Mason smiled softly, feeling how Ethan curved his fingers around his index one. “I will.” He promised. 

“Can I carry him?” Lizzie finally asked, she was there so she could carry her baby brother, after all. 

Owen stood up and swept her up to sit close to Claire so she could have a moment with the baby.

Claire slowly made sure to keep his head steady and carefully let the girl hold him over her lap. Ethan poked his tongue a little while he felt the change of presence, but happily stayed with his sister, quietly bonding with her.

Lizzie smiled and kissed him lovingly before she started to hum a lullaby and sing to him quietly. Owen was ready with his cellphone recording this to show to her grandparents, who were traveling back to meet their new grandson. Claire’s parents and Karen, along with Claire’s nephews, would be there later that afternoon.

Once the blonde girl was done with her lullaby, she looked up and smiled at Claire.

“Can I hold him too?” Mason wanted to go next. Lizzie slowly let Claire take the baby back and Owen pulled her down from the bed. Mason took his boots off and let Owen carry him up to the bed. He crawled to be closer to Claire, and once they both got comfortable next to each other, she kissed him again. 

“Careful with his little head.” She murmured, Ethan cooing once he felt how he was being taken by a new pair of arms. Mason adjusted and kept him close to him. 

“He likes grabbing my finger.” He laughed once the baby had it. “No… don’t eat my hand.” He giggled once he saw the baby ready to start sucking on it, thinking it was food. 

“I think he is hungry!” Lizzie figured. 

“He is a Grady, he is always hungry.” Owen teased, making his daughter laugh; she did have a big appetite.

Mason sighed lightly, his eyes on the baby. He had so many questions, but they were hard to ask. They were mostly about him when he had been born. 

“I promise I will always protect you.” He genuinely offered his baby brother, now that he had agreed to be his hero. Claire kissed to top of her eldest’s head gently a couple of times, feeling her tears running slowly down her cheek.


	5. Hiatus Announcement

Hello,

So as some of you may have noticed, it’s been almost a month since my last update. I used to juggle a handful of stories simultaneously and post new chapters daily. 

However, for the past few months now, I have been feeling unmotivated to keep updating my stories. I slowly started to go from posting every day, to every two days, until completely stopping.

The reason why I’m writing this note and letting you guys know that I might not continue posting, is because I didn’t want to leave the few of you who constantly shared your enthusiasm hanging and waiting. I appreciate all of you and I felt like I needed to let you know what happened that I abruptly stopped updating.

I haven’t stopped writing though. I have a handful of unpublished chapters for each of the 4 fics that are WiP. I just don’t feel the urge or a reason to share more chapters anymore. 

(If you follow me on twitter, this hiatus being “official” doesn’t come as a surprise). 

You guys have no idea how crucial and essential it is for a fanfic writer to have feedback and constant encouragement to keep posting and writing, especially for multi-chapters. The fact that a reader takes ten — hell, even just two — minutes of their time to stop by the comments section to share their thoughts on the chapter/one shot and leave a review, helps us to see that you guys are actually reading, enjoying and following the storyline, which is the main fuel for motivation and enthusiasm in publishing. 

The silence that us writers get — and I’m saying “us” because I know it’s not just me who feels like giving up — after every update translates to people not being interested. 

I wanted to share with you guys our POV to give you another perspective (the most important one) on how it’s like to be on this side of Fanfiction.

It’s a lot of work to write a chapter. Oneshots are easier, but a multi-chapter takes a lot of energy, and they are very consuming (especially if they are long). It takes me about 8 hours to write a chapter (and some writers take days or even a couple of weeks), and I often change my mindset from one fanfic setting to a completely different one, which is really exhausting; no one out there does the same, or at least I don’t think so. So, getting in the mindset of a couple of teenagers dealing with a pair of square snob parents one day, and the following day change my perspective to write a couple who is in the middle of the jungle trying to survive with nothing but their instincts, just to then end up getting little to no appreciation, is very discouraging.

Yes, you might come back to read each update, but the only way us writers have of knowing that you are enjoying it and anticipate an update, is if you let us know. 

Fanfiction is a two way relationship between writer and reader: the writer needs you guys to be active readers, to engage with us, and let us know you are liking the story, what you like or not, snips you are catching here and there, etc. Just like you guys need the author to update and keep your favorite stories going. And by not engaging, it comes across as you guys not being interested in the work, which results in us losing motivation and eagerness to keep writing.  

There can be many reasons why people don’t take a few minutes to write a heartfelt review or a few words, but in general it’s not really fair, and believe me, it feels like no one is on the other end, or that the stories you have to tell are ignored or just bad. 

Like I said; it takes us hours, days, weeks to put together one chapter, and all we ask in return is for you guys to take 60 seconds to let us know you’re there. Seriously, even a simple “I loved this because...” Sometimes, even just Kudos might help when you are a first time reader. 

Maybe English is not your first language and you don’t know how to express your thoughts? Well, I have a couple of readers who leave comments in Spanish (I speak Spanish), one of them even takes her time to give very rich, insightful reviews. If Spanish is not your language either, then leave them in yours and trust me...I’ll use google translate if I have to, in order to understand you.

Perhaps you don’t leave comments because you had a bad experience and previous authors wouldn’t even care for them. I acknowledge every reader who stops by and leaves some love. I’ve made a couple of close friends that way, actually. I even listen to suggestions and prompts and have used many of them on my chapters across the board. 

Maybe you don’t have an account, but AO3 lets guests to leave comments and kudos without the need to log in, because they know how those are indispensable for fics to keep coming. 

What I’m trying to say is that your motivation and encouragement are indispensable for us. Without it, we don’t have ground to keep sharing our stories, since it feels like no one is reading, or, to put it more bluntly, that no one cares. Sometimes it might be the case that, especially when stories get updated regularly, people just start getting used to it and take the updates for granted, as if writers were faithful robots that satisfied you in one click. But we are not. Fanfiction is not a job, we have lives and struggles outside of it, so very often, writing here is a way to relax and get to a happy place. But, truth is, writing (and posting regularly), no matter how much you love it, is hard, it’s draining, and passion and motivation are the only fuel in this case. And coming here to an empty audience leaves us with none. 

I keep writing for myself, so the stories aren’t really unfinished. I just don’t have a concrete reason to share them when the audience is perceived as nonexistent. 

Thank you for taking your time to read this and hear me out. I hope we can start a two-way relationship, if you’d like for me to keep sharing with you my stories. 


	6. Chapter 6

Ethan turning three weeks old marked the time Owen had to go back to work, which meant that for the first time since their baby was born, Claire would be left alone at home until both Mason and Owen would come back later in the afternoon from school and work respectively. The redhead was glad this year’s thanksgiving would be at Karen’s, and she didn’t have to worry about anything until her twelve weeks of maternity leave were up. …At least that was what Owen intended.  
   
For the past 21 days, Claire hadn’t been allowed to touch a broom or a mop. She hadn’t washed or dried a single plate or spoon, and it didn’t matter how much she insisted, Owen hadn’t even let her change a diaper. Owen had hired a maid to attend the house and Claire’s needs, and she had been working with the family since they had brought baby Ethan from the hospital.

She came at eight and left at six from Monday through Friday. The first maid Owen had hired quickly turned Mason into a lazy boy, who was fast to assume the young lady would do everything for him. Claire had raised him so he would make his bed the moment he woke up, and wash every glass and plate he used. If he messed it up, he had to put it back in its place and clean after himself.  
   
Now that he had his own bathroom, Claire had demanded him to be the one to keep it clean, and laundry on the floor was a negative unless he wanted to spend one week without playing videogames.  
   
Jane, their first maid, had seen herself out of the door after five days. On the third day on the job, she was told NOT to make the bed for Mason: on her first morning she had gotten to it before the kid, and now he started waiting for her to do it. That was strike one for Claire.  
   
Getting Claire some help was something Owen thought would help lifting some heavy weight off her shoulders now that her priority was Ethan, but they had to hire a maid almost every day. Claire was too demanding, but then again, she was a perfectionist and if Owen was expecting her to be able to stay off the house matters, she needed a maid that could work at her pace and with her system.  
   
“Clementina!?” Claire called out, “What happened with the diapers?” She rolled her eyes. Ethan ate a lot, and that meant he crapped as much, and they kept running out of diapers, so she had sent the maid to go get her a pack at the small convenience store just a few blocks down.  
   
Claire had already learned to juggle between breastfeeding her baby and texting/sending e-mails nine years before, so right now she had it completely mastered. She texted Owen, insisting to please remember to stop by a retail store and buy the big box of diapers.  
   
“Clementina!?” Claire called back again, baby latched on her, moving his soft eyes up. “Sorry, handsome.” She murmured and gently ran her hands on his little head and slowly relaxed. “We are taking a nap after this, aren’t we?” She almost begged. She was exhausted.  
   
They were lucky Ethan wasn’t much of a crier unless he needed something like food or a change of diaper, but he still woke up every couple of hours altering the two. Mom smiled softly, hearing the little noise her baby did while swallowing.  
   
Once Ethan let go of her breast, she cleaned his little lips and chin. She waited for a few minutes while she rested him over her shoulder, the little noise of his breathing the most beautiful sound Claire had ever heard. She just loved hearing him breathe against her ear after he was full.  
   
Claire looked over to the bassinet she had by her side of the bed, and after hesitating for a few seconds, she rested her baby over a blanket on Owen’s side. Ethan was now on his back, able to move his head to the side, looking for mom while she adjusted next to him, wanting to keep him close while they both took a nap.  
   
“What daddy don’t see, daddy don’t know…right?” She tickled his tummy a little, the baby wiggling his little legs. Claire was very strict at night, and didn’t allow the baby in bed with them. Aside from the physical crushing hazard, she knew it would be a struggle to make him stay in his own room when he was old enough, and adding a crib to that just made it harder.  
   
Claire moved her head closer, aware that Ethan could only distinguish her if she was eight or ten inches away. “We just won’t tell daddy that you are napping with me today, and you will be good and stay in your bassinet tonight.” She stated, kissing his cheek softly.  
   
She adjusted on her side and curled up so Ethan could stay between her knees and her breasts. She rested her hand close by and let her finger brush the palm of his gentle hand softly while he slowly drifted to sleep.  
   
“Miss Dearing?” The maid stepped into the master bedroom with a pack of diapers; she was finally back from walking at least half an hour to get them.  
   
Claire grunted, she was finally able to get some sleep and this woman was interrupting her nap for something as insignificant as some diapers. “What have I told you about waking me up, Clementina?” The redhead didn’t even bother turning to face her: if she moved, then Ethan would be disturbed.  
   
“Not to wake you up unless the house is on fire.” She recited what her employer had roared at her last time this had happened. “But you said the diapers were a matter of urgency.”  
   
Claire had indeed said that, so she mumbled under her breath, annoyed that some people seemed to take everything literally, and apparently sarcasm was a foreign language to many. She made sure not to wake up her baby as she gently sat up on the bed. “Let’s see.” She smiled condescendingly. “Let’s see the diapers that are oh so urgent at this very second when Ethan is fast asleep.” Claire reached out with her hand so the other woman could hand them over.  
   
The look on her face alarmed the maid. Claire released a heavy sigh and gave her the pack back. “These are size 1!” She had to swallow the scream she was ready to throw at this woman so she wouldn’t wake the baby up. “Did I send you out to get size 1?”  
   
“No, but the lady who helped me said the baby could wear these too.” Clementina explained.  
   
“Why didn’t you get newborn diapers, Clementina?” Claire took a deep breath; Owen had begged her to listen to the maid and their way of thinking before throwing them out. So here she was, asking the woman why she hadn’t run the errand following the instructions she had been given.  
   
“They had run out of them.” She explained.  
   
“Did you hear that, angel?” Claire snorted, “You poop too much.” She ran her fingers down the baby’s belly and smiled lovingly down at him before her attention moved back to the maid, her smile replace with a glare of annoyance.  
   
“Just get out.” She requested, before she set the pack of diapers on her nightstand and adjusted back to cuddle with her baby and try to get some sleep. “Do you need a bloody degree to do a simple task, for the love of god?” Claire mumbled before kissing her baby’s little hand and gently letting his soft scent calm her.

  
 

* * *

 

  
Wearing a baby wrapper to carry her baby around the house, Claire went to Mason’s room and bathroom. She would get bored quickly after not being able to do much and unable to sleep, so she was taking more time to make sure her eldest was keeping his bedroom tidy and his bathroom clean. She found a pile of whites and everyday clothes exactly four steps away from the laundry basket he had in the bathroom. Claire smiled at the fact that the maid hadn’t cleaned it: as she had been told. It seemed she was capable of following certain instructions, after all.  
   
Claire headed out of the bathroom and went straight downstairs to the living room and started to unplug his Nintendo Switch, as well as Owen’s Xbox, from the TV; too bad for him, but her son was grounded, and if one buddy went down the entire squad had to suffer.  
   
After hiding both consoles where neither of them could find them, Claire fixed herself a sandwich and worked a little on her laptop while Ethan just stared at her, gently wrapped against her chest.  
   
He was already a very curious boy, so she had made sure to adjust him in a way where his little arms had some freedom and he could move them around. He would sometimes try to grab her hair and eat it, so she always had to pin it up on her head and keep it away from him.  
   
Claire would casually giggle at Ethan, hearing him coo differently when he heard she was happy. She reached out for one of his wrist rattles. Lizzie had gotten him an entire collection that included an elephant and a tiger, which were her favorite. Mom carefully adjusted the baby blue one with the baby elephant around his wrist and watched him light up at the sound. His little head was curious as he would occasionally made the toy rattle as he wiggled. Claire had the tiger one close, and would use it to make some noise while typing at her laptop close to his sight, so he could get happy and play with mommy for a while.  
 

 

* * *

  
   
“Hi mom!!!” Mason was the first one to make it home after school. He ran to the kitchen and got himself a coke.  
   
“We want a kiss, please.” Claire demanded, watching her kid run around while he made himself a snack. Ethan wasn’t the only one growing fast and eating like he had an empty bottom.  
   
Mason kissed her cheek and then Ethan’s nose. The baby wiggled and cooed once his big brother was close enough for him to recognize him. The newborn made some bubbles with his saliva while moving his tongue a little, making Mason laugh.  
   
The nine year old rushed to the living room and turned the television on, leaving mom waiting for him to come back, grunting and complaining. “UGH, WHY!!?” He called out.  
   
It took him a minute to go back to the kitchen and face his mother. “You know the rule.” She shrugged.  
   
“This is so unfair!” Mason crossed his arms against his chest.  
   
“Why, why is it unfair?” Claire asked, “Weren’t you warned about your obligations beforehand?”  
   
“Yes.”  
   
“Weren’t you told what the consequences would be if you didn’t obey? Claire tilted her head.  
   
“Yes, but—”  
   
“I’m listening.” She let him talk and explain himself, open to discuss this with him.  
   
“But the maid… you pay her for a reason. I don’t see why she can’t clean my stuff too? It will get done anyways, which is the important thing.” Mason sighed, not understanding what the difference would be.  
   
“Yes, but keeping your room and bathroom clean is your responsibility, not hers.” Claire explained calmly. “As you grow older you get different responsibilities.” She added. “Doing your homework and doing well in school is one thing, and keeping your room clean is another one. It’s always been like that, babe.” She reminded him.  
   
“Yeah but we didn’t have a maid.” He frowned.  
   
Claire shook her head, “Your dirty clothes go in the laundry basket and that’s something you can do the moment you are changing, can’t you?”  
   
Mason nodded, “I guess.”  
   
“Then why don’t you?” She fixed her eyes on his.  
   
The boy shrugged.  
   
“No video games for a week, babe.” She let him know.  
   
Mason grunted but understood the reason behind his punishment.  
   
“Now, your brother needs a change of diaper, do you want to help me?” She smiled.  
   
“Okay, but his diapers stink worse than Molly’s poop.” He let her know. “I think his diapers and Owen’s farts are battling for the stinkiest.”  
   
Claire laughed; having to deal with both, sometimes simultaneously, had her agreeing with her eldest son.  
   
They walked into the nursery and Claire set her baby on his diaper change table while Mason fetched a new diaper and everything they needed. “Why are these size 1?” He had noticed the pack was different and was quick to find the difference.  
   
“Ugh, don’t get me started.” She undid Ethan’s onesie from the bottom and slowly took his little legs off of it.  
   
“These ones don’t have that little notch cutout thingy.” Mason pointed out when he unfolded the new diaper.  
   
“I know.” Claire rolled her eyes. “But he is already healing, so it’s fine.” She explained. “We will just fold the waist a little just in case.”  
   
“Okay.” Mason nodded and glued his eyes on Claire’s hands, watching how she cleaned his baby brother.  
   
“Okay, put his diaper over him while I clean his tushy.” She suggested.  
   
“Because of the cold?” That was so relatable, he sure didn’t like cold down there.  
   
“When you were a baby, you liked peeing on me while I changed you.” She smiled, full of nostalgia.  
   
“I’m sorry!” He blushed bright red.  
   
“It’s okay. It is because of the cold, but you know…you would make a mess.” She shared the anecdote, “So I would use the diaper to cover you in case you decided to do it.”  
   
“Oh… that’s a cool hack.” He nodded.  
   
“Yeah. But don’t tell Owen.” She winked playfully, and with a mischievous smirk Mason agreed. “Okay, now you know the side of the diaper so just slide it under him while I move his legs.” Claire gave her baby a couple kisses on his tummy and let the big brother secure the diaper around his waist once they had folded it.  
   
“Can I do that tummy time thing?” He knew Claire always let Ethan on his tummy for a couple of minutes after changing his diaper so he could exercise lifting his head up and his muscles. Claire nodded and cautiously supervised that the kid was doing it correctly, letting both brothers bond for a couple of minutes.  
 

 

* * *

  
   
The image Owen was welcomed by after a long day of work was the one of the woman he loved and their baby in the tub. He smiled brightly and kneeled by, gently pressing a soft kiss on Claire’s forehead. She was relaxing while she let Ethan sleep gently on her chest, with warm water up to his back.  
   
“This is the only way he let me give him a bath.” She murmured as Dad brushed his fingers down his back. “He can scream.” She chuckled, her eyes moving to the sink counter where she had the baby tub filled. She had tried to give him his first bath and the baby just wasn’t having it.  
   
“He is your son.” Owen teased, earning a glare.  
   
Claire reached for the baby towel she had on her and slowly started cleaning her baby with it. They were in the middle of his bath when Owen had come in. “I don’t want to move.” She teared up a bit. “I love it when he is this close to me.” She sniffed. That skin to skin bonding was their favorite thing.  
   
“Can I take a photo? Please.” Owen loved the image, and he just wanted it forever captured.  
   
Claire nodded. “Then do you want to help me shampoo his head?” Ethan had the most light and soft blond hair.  
   
Owen cleared the few tears running down his face and found the perfect angle while mom and baby relaxed in the tub. He took his photo, and setting the phone over the sink counter, he adjusted. Claire slowly sat up and moved closer to the edge.  
   
She kept Ethan safe and steady on his back while Owen gently stimulated his little head with soft massages using the special shampoo they had gotten him. He used a small water bowl to clear the shampoo, and once done, he was gentle with his little comb.  
   
Dad fetched the baby towel and welcomed Ethan in it from Claire’s arms. He started to dry him and kissed his cheek a couple of times before lying him on his back over a towel Claire already had ready on the sink counter.  
   
Owen made sure to dry between every finger and toe, and under every little wrinkle in his body while Claire dried herself and wrapped her robe around her.  
   
“Did you bring the diapers?” She asked before they exchanged a couple of loving kisses. Owen nodded. Claire walked into their bedroom to get one from the box he had left over their bed.  
   
“Where’s Clementina?” Owen casually wondered, already knowing the answer.  
   
“Fired.”  
   
“I’ll look for another one tomorrow.” He sighed, letting Claire peck his lips a couple of times before she started to put that diaper on her baby, and once secured around his waist, Owen put his onesie on.  
   
“Also, if you want your Xbox back, you have to find a way for Mason to leave his dirty clothes in the laundry basket.” She casually advised, gently lifting Ethan up and letting him rest over her shoulder. She pressed a loving kiss on his head and got comfortable on their bed, ready to feed her baby dinner.


End file.
